(NewsNation Now) — Farming production has caused a nationwide spike in food prices. Farmers have attributed the shift to bad weather and supply chain issues, among other things.
Farmer John Alger is trying to navigate his way through a maze of problems affecting his corn crop in South Florida this year. The most recent challenge: freezing temperatures.
“We haven’t had a weather event that’s taken out supply in 12 years,” Alger said. “The biggest things we’re having to deal with right now are our costs of production. Fertilizer has gone from $450 a ton to over $700 a ton.”
The fertilizer comes in from overseas and cargo ships have been delayed for months due to the pandemic, causing the price of supplies to increase up to 15% more for family-owned farms.
Supply chain issues aren’t just hurting farmers. Produce prices went up last year, and this year they’re expected to go up another 5 percent. Getting fresh produce may now cost you more than it used to.
Items like oranges and avocados have already skyrocketed due to shortages. According to the USDA, avocados are up 50 cents from last year. Alger says fresh produce prices across the board will stay high for at least the next 60 days.
Another factor hiking food prices right now is unemployment. Some farmers admitted that finding workers to pick the crops has become nearly impossible during the pandemic.